Verbund service and bike
| Verbund Service und Fahrrad e. V. (VSF) |
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| purpose | Industry association |
| Chair: | Thorsten Larschow, Ralf Rätzel, Thomas Schwerdtner, Friedrich von Trotha |
| Executive Director: | Albert Herresthal, Dirk Sexauer |
| Establishment date: | 1985 |
| Number of members: | 313 (2020) |
| Seat : | Berlin |
| Website: | www.vsf.de |
The Verbund Service und Fahrrad e. V. (VSF) is an independent trade association for the bicycle industry that represents more than 300 dealers, manufacturers and service providers. It stands for high quality standards, sustainability, fairness and reliability. His core competencies lie in networking the industry and working with politics. The VSF develops innovative concepts for the entrepreneurial success of its members and is committed to a growing share of cycling. Its members and partners appreciate the intensive cooperation and the strong sense of community.
The purpose of the association, according to the statutes, is to promote environmental protection, as well as to promote health and improve the quality of life by promoting the framework conditions for the bicycle as a means of transport.
aims
For the Verbund Service und Fahrrad e. V., the promotion of mobility by bicycle is of central importance in terms of transport, health, environmental and climate policy. It is at the same time a socio-political contribution and serves to sustainably improve environmental protection, quality of life and health promotion. The association wants to further develop, promote, maintain and support the cycling culture in Germany in this sense. The members of the association pursue a holistic approach in their work. This includes striving for a meaningful form of work, a sustainable way of working and environmentally conscious action.
Until 2010 VSF stood for Association of Self-Managed Bicycle Companies . The self-managed bicycle businesses came into being at the end of the 1970s against the background of the oil crisis , environmental protection , peace movement , the 1968 movement and grassroots democracy . The founders' motivation was to combine personal commitment with social goals. Organized in a grassroots democracy, ecological products that are durable and of high quality should be offered. This should be achieved by focusing on good everyday bicycles and competent advice in order to promote bicycle traffic as a contribution to the ecological change in traffic .
The principles remained, even if details had to be brought into harmony with economic reality. A company organization based on the division of labor, for example, is standard today in what were once alternative stores. Many of these stores are now so professionally run and beautifully designed that they are among the leaders in the industry. The general assembly decided in November 2010 to change the name to VSF - Association of Service and Bicycle .
Fields of activity
The VSF was founded to survive with good quality bikes in an industry where price was one of the most important purchase criteria. The VSF offers specialist dealers information exchange on the quality of products, seminars on technical and commercial issues. He also lobbies for product quality, cycling policy and other issues.
VSF offers its customers a nationwide uniform standard of service and advice as well as a defined quality and price standard.
Shops in the VSF offered a test drive before buying and a free initial inspection . Inspections and all other work are carried out in every VSF specialist shop, regardless of which VSF shop in which city the bike was bought.
With the vsf..all-ride concept, a seal of quality for particularly high suitability for everyday use with minimal maintenance , a quality and service standard was launched in 2005 and expanded to include the VSF seal of quality in 2007. Bicycles, components and accessories that have a particularly high product quality and are tried and tested, as well as bicycle workshops that work at a particularly high level of quality and service carry the seal of quality.
- Qualification: The VSF Academy imparts know-how on the subject of bicycles by offering distance learning courses (business administration in bicycle retailing, bicycle technology), seminars and manufacturer trips.
- Industry work: In spring 2010, the first industry congress took place in Berlin. The VSF is the driving force in planning and implementation. "vivavelo" is the first professional platform for all committed people who work for bicycles. The aim is to bring politics and industry together, especially against the background of changing mobility structures.
VSF bicycle manufacturer
VSF members founded the VSF Fahrradmanufaktur in Bremen in 1987 . At the end of the 1990s this ran into financial difficulties and was finally taken over by Prophete and transferred to Cycle Union GmbH. The VSF Fahrradmanufaktur brand will be continued by Cycle Union, the bicycles are now mainly produced industrially in Oldenburg.
Structure and numbers
The association currently has 313 members (as of 2020). In addition to the 236 specialist shops (seven of which are abroad), 55 manufacturers / service providers and 12 non-profit organizations - social projects with a focus on bicycles - are members of the association. There are also 10 individual members.
The board is elected by the general assembly for a period of two years. Currently (as of 2020) the board consists of Friedrich von Trotha, Ralf Rätzel, Thomas Schwerdtner and Thorsten Larschow. The arbitration board consists of at least two people.
VSF eV is the sole shareholder of VSF Service GmbH. This acts as a service company and implements projects for which the association is the source of ideas, such as the VSF..all-ride seal of quality or the vivavelo congress of the bicycle industry. Uwe Wöll is the managing director of VSF Service GmbH.
Lobbying
The aim of the political work of the VSF is to improve the general conditions for cycling. The association is committed to this at national and EU level. I.a. The VSF was appointed to the advisory board for the National Cycling Plan in 2005 and was a member of the expert committee for updating the NRVP 2020.
Apprenticeships
The VSF Academy offers practical seminars on topics such as bicycle technology as well as courses with technical and / or business expertise for bicycle retailers. Since 1990, the VSF has been promoting the improvement of the two-wheel mechanic profession in the relevant committees. In 2003, the bicycle-specific training for trade and craft was officially introduced with the apprenticeship as two-wheel mechanic for bicycle technology .
Prices
The VSF honors manufacturers or personalities with the negative price Rusty Pinion and the Golden Pinion award . With the VSF..Ethikpreis , the association honors players in the bicycle industry who are also committed to people and bicycles beyond commercial interests.
history
The association was founded in 1985 as an association of self-managed bicycle businesses by around 40 bicycle dealers in Berlin-Kreuzberg . In 1987 the VSF bicycle manufacturer and wholesaler were founded in Bremen . In 1990 the Rusty Pinion Critics' Prize was awarded for the first time . The VSF Academy, which offers practical seminars, manuals and distance learning courses, was founded in 2001. In 2005, the VSF Ethics Prize was awarded for the first time. In the same year, the VSF was appointed to the advisory board for the National Cycling Plan (NRVP 2002–2012). The association has been awarding the VSF..all-ride certified seal of approval since 2007 . For the 25th anniversary in 2010, the company was renamed the Service and Bicycle Association . In 2012 the association was granted non-profit status and VSF Service GmbH was founded. The VSF managing director was also appointed as a member of the new version of the advisory board for the implementation of the National Cycling Plan (NRVP 2020) in 2014.
Web links
- VSF website
- Website of the VSF..all-ride workshops
- Web presence of the vivavelo congress of the bicycle industry
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b members . VSF.de, accessed on June 10, 2020.
- ↑ the VSF / VSF.de. Retrieved June 10, 2020 .
- ↑ Home / VSF.de. Retrieved December 29, 2017 .
- ^ Hans-Heinrich Pardey: Wedding in handwork . In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , February 26, 2015, accessed on July 11, 2015.
- ↑ VSF Service GmbH / VSF.de. Retrieved June 10, 2020 .
- ↑ Contact person / VSF.de. Retrieved June 10, 2020 .
- ↑ Berlin District Court (Charlottenburg), VR 20589.
- ↑ VSF..Ethics Prize . VSF website, accessed April 29, 2017.
- ↑ The history of the VSF . VSF website, accessed April 29, 2017.
- ↑ New advisory board for the implementation of the National Cycling Plan . National Cycling Plan website , November 14, 2014, accessed April 29, 2017.